The Associated Press
1/20/03 4:21PM
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Attorney General Bill Pryor said in his inauguration
speech Monday that his goal for the next four years is to finish the
job of bringing Alabama's "outdate constitution" into the
21st Century.
Pryor, beginning his second full term in office, remembered
his speech at the inauguration ceremony four years ago in which he
promised to work to remove outdated language from the 1901 state constitution
that prohibited interracial marriages.
Alabama voters have since passed an amendment formally
legalizing interracial marriage, but Pryor said Monday there's more
that needs to be done.
"We still must reform our outdated constitution,"
he said.
Pryor, a Republican from Mobile, was sworn-in by Alabama
Supreme Court Justice Jean Brown.
Pryor also said he would strengthen efforts to prosecute
white collar crime, including election fraud. He also said work needs
to be done to relieve the backlog of prisoners in county jails and
overcrowding in state prisons. He promised to continue to work to
reform sentencing procedures.
"We need to stop declaring that we are going to
be tough on crime and instead be smart on crime," Pryor said.
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